That doesn't really jive with medieval paradigm or what most Magister in Artibus look like.
Big book based stories using a 3rd edition style of library? sure! Use libraryd escription
Max level achievable
3. Your library contains a low quality book on the subject.
6. Your library contains the basics to acquire working status on a subject (and be able to teach an apprentice), probably a root and maybe some tractatus to complement it. Late spring library level.
9 Early summer library. Contains the classics of the Order on the subject and some research and specialized texts on the subject. A functional library.
12 A summer library. Contains the classics of the Order on the subject and a pair of solid texts that give extra insight on certain areas of the Art. those extra texts will be sought by magi that want to learn.
15 As above but adding a very good book on the subject or two, or the research notes on a specific area (volcanoes, stream magic, storms, the minds of high gentry...)
18 As above, but there are also books on research on a wide range of areas of knowledge. Probably some of these have been penned by magi of the covenant that were solid researchers even if not amazing communicators.
21 Autumn library. Contains all the basics and a large collection of support texts. Some books are masterpieces only available here. This level is only achievable through stories
24 ...
27 ...
30 ...
33 Durenmar. Contains most quality books produced on the subject by the order
36 A library specialized in this subject. Nowhere you can find so many good books
Each level above 15 requires a story to improve the knowledge available in the library.
Thanks for that, Xavi. 20 years is a long time to go.
I'm reminded that I found these library impersonal
Wanted to come back and explain myself. Teachers of this era weren't necessarily Good Teachers, or even experienced teachers. By and large they were someone who had read the same book over and over and were well-versed in it. Almost all learning was by rote. It doesn't take a lot of skill to teach by rote, just repeat things over and over. If one has the book it's easier to do that. If students have the book it's even easier.
If we look at Doctor of (Faculty), he gets 300 xp, but he must have scores of 5 in Artes Liberales and 5 in Latin, at a minimum. That leaves 150 xp left, to be spread among whatever academic ability his doctorate is in, which should certainly be at least a 5, if not higher. So, that leaves us with 75 xp, which is really the most that can go to teaching and ignores other academic abilities and languages, leaving us a score of 5. Yes, a Doctor of Faculty has more experience points to use beyond those granted by the Virtue, but there are a lot of other abilities that need some attention to be considered a well rounded character.
There will be puissant teachers and teachers with an affinity for the ability and those with high communication characteristics and even those with natural talent for teaching (Good Teacher). But if we examine the population of all the men of learning in Mythic Europe, there's no reason to believe that the majority of them should have high communication, high teaching scores and be Good Teachers, or even have a combination where the total SQ they can teach to a classroom is 12. And this is the lowest teacher on the totem pole at the school. They should only get better from here, but a SQ 12 is pretty darn good already!
I have seen more libraries with books described in terms of level and quality of books than to the actual content of the texts, so I am not sure that modern libraries are necessarily more personal than these of the old system.
I just wanted to show that you can have the library with described books but working under the old more abstract system. You can (and probably would) have books of all kinds shapes and forms in the diverse "levels" of library for each knowledge. Acquiring new books helps go towards the next level of expertise so you can still have "book adventures" and gain from it. But a vain tractatus is unlikely to do much to improve your Muto 15 library to the next level.
+1
It would seem to me that if you want to emulate someone reading a book the teaching skill shouldn't come into it at all- this is simply a way to achieve a mass reading, and use the books statistics as written. Only difference is that only the reader needs an artes liberals score.
You can still have those stories: If you acquire Ricardo Scarrius' Big Book of Ignem, your library's Ignem value will increase by 2.... unless the hype is unwarranted and everything in that book is covered elsewhere in your library, in which case you just have bragging rights.
But yes, the AM2 and AM3 mechanics do not specifically cover the value of individual books. In a way, that makes stories easier.